Reaching out

This was a year in which we broadened the reach of our services across the communities of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and built on our commitment to South Lincolnshire by investing in a dedicated development role; resulting in new projects and local collaboration.

Emerging from Covid-19 restrictions – with safety our priority – our staff and volunteer teams once again demonstrated their adaptability, resilience, and commitment to the continuity of our services.

While there is no doubting the importance of restoring face-to-face connections – the pandemic has shown how changes in the expectations of those whom we support can result in more flexible delivery styles that can increase reach and accessibility.

It has allowed the expansion of some services along with an extension into new locations for others; much of this continuing our strong culture of working in partnership with others. Illustrated further in this review:

• Our crisis support services expanded with the introduction of our daytime Sanctuary in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. In South Lincolnshire, we have worked with partners to pilot out-of-hours ‘Night Light’ cafes, which have since received longer-term NHS community mental health transformation investment.

• We secured funding to maintain and grow our innovative Discharge Buddy Service, which provides focused support to individuals following discharge either from an inpatient stay or Crisis Team intervention.

• We developed the NHS-funded peer support element of the new Community Personality Disorder service, which began in Peterborough and is now being expanded across Cambridgeshire.

• Our Good Life Service launched our Good Life Fund to support community-led wellbeing activity and we extended the Good Life Service provision in rural Peterborough, thanks to NHS Community Mental Health Transformation funding.

• Our STOP Suicide awareness campaign and training opportunities increased the suicide prevention knowledge skills and awareness across more than 30 diverse local organisations supporting individuals facing various life challenges. It was accompanied by a co-produced and innovative animated STOP Suicide film that encourages people to respond in a direct, helpful, and compassionate way if they are concerned someone they know may be feeling suicidal.

Looking forward, we are both excited and inspired by our new co-produced three-year strategy ‘Connecting across communities: for better mental health’ and our forward focus on three core strategic development areas of ‘Inclusion, Innovation and Influence.’ In response to the Climate Emergency, it also recognises our responsibilities in relation to protecting the natural environment together and the vital part that nature can play in supporting positive mental health.

Aly Anderson CEO